Kingdom of the Cursed Mask

chapter 7

"Come with me, wanderers," the pink princess told her guests after they came into her castle. "Let me show you around in our kingdom."

"Is that... CANDY!?" K'Nuckles drooled and rushed to a living peppermint and started to viciously nom on him, much to the latter's discomfort and misfortune.

"This place is amazing!" Bubbles beamed. "It's like my imagination came true. All these funny creatures! And are you the queen?"

"Almost, I am the princess," the princess smiled. "Princess Bubblegum. Go on, Bubbles," she then put her arm around the blonde Powerpuff Girl. "Make yourself at home."

"This place is astounding!" Numbuh 2 praised. "I... I don't know where to start! I have a lot of questions about this place."

"Don't hesitate to ask your questions," Princess Bubblegum insisted as she stood between a square-headed boy and a pink bunny girl. "They'll answer for whatever you want to know," she then noticed Blossom. "I see you are the leader. You come with me, we have to talk."

The Upper Hallway...

"You must have a lot of questions," Princess Bubblegum said to Blossom. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, how is this place even possible?" Blossom asked.

"I see you are a woman of science," Princess Bubblegum smiled. "I am interested in science too. Well, down here, the rules and laws of nature are different."

"But what about the heat?" Blossom argued. "And the pressure? What protects this place from total destruction?"

"Magic."

"Okay, seriously."

"Magic, seriously."

"Really?"

"Really."

Blossom gave a doubtful look, but resisted more questions, but internally questioned the logic of this mystical land.

"We are the descendants of the once great civilization of Paititi," Princess Bubblegum explained. "We live our lives here for centuries. The citizens of Ooo do not know our past. They do not know that we live under the surface. We were banished here, it's our punishment and duty to protect the treasures that caused our downfall: To prevent others to fall into our mistake. There are a lot of things here that would change your world permanently, but as you know, the most powerful among them, is the Mask." she then displayed a mask that was shown in a case for protection and security.

"It's wooden." Blossom observed.

"What did you think?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

"I thought it was gold or something," Blossom explained. "How come a wooden mask, which isn't even from this culture, is so important for so many?"

"It's not because of its fabric, it's about the powers it holds." Princess Bubblegum explained.

"What power can a wooden mask have?" Blossom asked.

"Legend has it that the wearer of the mask possesses omnipotent powers, like the gods who created it," Princess Bubblegum educated. "That's why our ancestors couldn't give it back then. During the last visit from the surface, a couple of knights arrived, they called themselves Templars, but as always, one of them was greedy, he stole the mask and put it on. We were barely able to stop him, then the knights vowed that no one would ever find this place again."

The Gallery...

"Blossom, Blossom!" Numbuh 2 burst in through the door with an overjoyed smile on his face. "A whole different soceity from ours!" he then caught the Powerpuff Girl in his hand. "This is unique! Basically a different way of social evolution sealed from the effects of any other!"